Archive for December, 2008|Monthly archive page

Last week, I made a simple orange cake, it turned out very airy and high, and was very simple yet very tasty. Though that cake was very simple, it had one special thing about it. According to my father, this cake tasted just like the cake that his grandmother used to make. My great grandmother was known for her cakes, so this was one of the biggest compliment that I`ve ever got.

You must be confused here, and you`r probably asking yourselves whats the connection between chocolate babka and orange cake? Well, after that cake I decide to attempt to try one of my great grandmother famous cakes – the babka.

So, I`ve made this chocolate babka, that according to my father is different from his grandmother, but very delicious.

Though this was not like my great grandmother`s, this babka is outstanding. One of my favorite things about this cake is the dark chocolate vains that run through the cake, and give it the most gorgeous look.

This dough is a brioche-like, it is very airy, and has a slight buttery taste to it. I recommend that you make this dough by using a mixer, since it turns out very sticky and wet. Don’t panic when it`s wet, and don’t attempt to add more flour, simply work with it with oiled or floured hands, and it will be just fine.

I made one big babka in a pan called the “wonder pan” which you could find only on Israel, this pan is very similar to a angel food cake pan or bundt pan. The instructions for the babka shape are written below, plus an idea for an alternative chocolate filling.

Yes, I am aware that there are 3 more pizza recipes in this humble blog, and I do know that 3 is more than enough, but I just have to give another one, I just cant help it. This one is so good simply because it is easy to make, and the final result always turns out great. Nothing complicated here, just some plain and good pizza recipe.

If the pizza looks to thin to your taste- don’t worry! you could make it any way you like, it will be fine any way.

I have one recommendation about the cheese. If you can`t get any fresh balls of mozzarella, and you are using plain mozzarella (which has great texture, but not a lot of taste), add to it a nice amount of Gauda, it will add the much needed flavor (at least to my taste).

Besides the terrific chocolate tart recipe, this meatballs recipe is the most useful and delicious recipe from the naked chef book. This recipe never disappoints, and has that `something extra` flavor.

This is my go-to recipe when I want to make meatballs, this recipe is just delicious, and with all the extra spices, it has a lot more flavor. I find that this recipe is at its best when adding the extra onion-mustard mix to the meatball mixture. One thing though, if you are expecting to get fluffy meatballs, this is not the recipe for you. These ones are fairly solid, and I think that this is part of their charm.

I guess that you could make any tomato sauce with this meatballs, but after many tries, I think that the recipe that is in the book is the best for this specific recipe. If you don’t have 3 cans of crushed tomatoes (like me sometimes), make half of the sauce, and it will be just fine.

I promise you that you will fall in love with this recipe, not only because it will put a foolish smile on your face, but because of its taste. Sure, these cookies are very sweet, nothing sophisticated here, just a great taste of fudgy cookies with an add of delicious M&M (Yes, I said delicious. Sometimes a bag of M&M is better than the any fancy bittersweet chocolate.). Another reason to make these is the simplicity of the making, it takes about 5 minutes (if you are really slow…), and all the time goes on the baking.

I know that many people dislike very sweet cookies, but if you are planning on making these ones, don`t omit any amount of sugar, trust me on this one. This recipe is perfect as it is. Also, to make sure that you will get a perfectly baked cookie, make sure not to over bake the cookies, and take them out from the oven even before they look ready (they should be a bit firm on the sides, and very soft in the middle).

So if you are in a gloomy mood, or just want to make someone happy, make these ones, they will do the job.

Note: This recipe is for yeast based rugelach that are more common in Israel. These rugelach are very different from the cheese cream dough based ones, and are just like little yeast cakes.

I think that freshly bakes yeast rugelach is the perfect way to check people`s will power. First, they`ll say that they are on a diet. Then, they will ask you to bring them a half just to make sure that the rugelach are fine. After that, they will start eating these without any conscience, They`ll tell you that they just can`t stop.

There is nothing like the smell of a freshly bakes yeast cake filling the house, and I do mean nothing. I think that most people love rugelach, there is just something so comforting about them, the chocolaty flavor with the soft yeas dough, that makes this just delicious.

I`ve given this specific yeast dough in the past, but I`m putting it here again simply because it is really good, and because it is very variable- make it as a yeast cake, or as rugelach, fry it up to make doughnut or make cinnamon rolls, basically, anything goes with this one.

This recipe is the kind of recipe that you find yourself making over and over again simply because that these has something extra about them. These have a lovely flavor, and a bit of character, thanks to the tangy frosting and the delicious pistachios.

If you are a bit tight at time, or you just dont have the patience to wait, you could always put the dough in the freezer for 30 minutes, and than make the cookies. Also, the frosting is totally optional. Sure, it adds quite a lot, but you could manage without it.

About the size- you could certainly make these in any size, from monster cookies to tiny ones, it really does`nt matter. I usually make these about 4 cm. diameter, so they are nice and easy to eat, and could be finished in two bites.

One more thing to notice is the frosting. Make sure to make it thick enough, so it will remain firm. Don`t be afraid to add more sugar. Oh, please use freash lemon juice if you can. I know it`s only one teaspoon, but freash juice really makes a difference.

Hello there! We know this is a bit unusual, but we want to introduce ourselves- We are siblings, who live in Israel, and simply love to cook (though not too often with each other!). Asaf, is a university student who lives in Jerusalem, and enjoys inventing new and surprising recipes. ... Continue reading →